Just a Smile
by RyansDreamMaker
Summary: That was how he ended up drunk... in Charlotte's bedroom... Which somehow ended with her being his wife.
1. Chapter 1

Bass had several habits, some good, some bad. A person doesn't grow to be forty-seven years old without developing just a few. He always checked a safe house twice over before turning in - no matter who was on watch - in order to ensure everyone's safety. He cleaned his gun regularly and with the same sort of care you would find new parents bathing a newborn. Good hygene too, not easy considering the blackout, but he always made sure he was moderately clean.

But he was also a drunk. Sleep was impossible without a little help from his liquid friend.

Which was how he ended up drunk... in Charlotte's room.

Typically, Bass kept his increasing - and slightly creepy - infatuation with the younger Matheson to himself. Miles and Rachel knew nothing about it and he doubted that Conner or Charlie even spared him a glance, so his secret was - most likely - safe.

His own little secret. Just the thought of Charlie made him smile. Flowing blonde hair and bright blue eyes. Her easy sarcasm was so reminiscent of a younger Miles that it made his heart ache for simpler times. It wasn't all about Miles though. He loved the way she did... well, everything. Hunting, fighting, laughing, smiling, talking, walking, hell - even eating. Just the other day, she had tossed him an apple. A simple thing to normal people, but for _her_ to give one to _him_ , without the sarcasm and then even gracing him with a little smile, that was huge.

Maybe he was just drunk and reading too much into it, but it felt like it meant something. Charlie only smiled for two reasons; Miles telling her she did a good job or whenever Aaron talked about quantum mechanics like everyone should know what that was.

Ok, so there were three reasons she smiled. The third being when everyone went out to hunt and she was the only one to come back with something edible. She loved being the best at anything.

So for Charlie no-nonsense Matheson, to toss him an apple and just _smile._ Bass couldn't seem to let it go.

He had taken first watch, and as he sat on the dingy porch with his gun in his lap, his mind had replayed the moment over and over again. Maybe she was just trying to be nice? ...Doubtful. Her last name wasn't Matheson for nothing. Maybe she poisoned it?... Nah, it would have killed him already.

Then _why_?

When Miles came to relieve him from watch, Bass had gone to his room for his customary nightly drink so he could get some much needed rest. But as he lay awake staring at the ceiling, a pleasant buzz tingling throughout, Charlie's smile haunted him. Full, pink lips, and dazzling white teeth with that little dimple in her cheek. She was beautiful. And confusing.

Before his foggy brain could tell him it was a bad idea, Bass was standing in the doorway of Charlotte's moonlight bedroom. She was sleeping soundly on the old, twin sized bed, her chest rising and falling slowly with each breath. The sight calmed his frantic brain and he found himself moving closer so he could see her pretty face. Relaxed in sleep, Charlie looked like an angel, her golden hair framing her face like a halo. He reached out, his brain screaming for him to stop, and touched her warm cheek with the back of his fingers. She exhaled softly, eyes fluttering, and muttered something in her sleep. Then she woke suddenly, her eyes snapping open and immediately landing on his face. Too surprised to move, Bass stared down at her with his fingers still touching her face.

"Monroe?" Her voice was barely a whisper, though it held a demanding tone that said he better explain himself quickly or wind up dead.

"Hi," he answered stupidly. She frowned but still didn't move.

"Are you drunk?"

Bass shook his head no, the action making his head ache, then changed his mind. "Yes."

Charlie stared up at him and very slowly wrapped her hand around his wrist, pulling it away from her face. "What are you doing in here?" Though she seemed almost amused rather than angry.

Whether from the alcohol or her easy tone, Bass found himself wanting to tell her the truth. "I just wanted to make sure you were safe." Or at least part of the truth.

She nodded understandingly, her blue eyes staring into his. "I'm fine, I promise."

Bass noticed her small fingers still wrapped around his wrist and moved so he could hold her hand. "I know. I'm sorry I woke you up." He whispered as he gently stroked her fingers. He felt her arm shiver and watched it travel through her body. "Are you cold?"

Charlie shook her head, but it was useless as Bass was already gathering her blanket up so he could wrap it more firmly around her. As he leaned over her to tuck her in, Charlie reached up and slid her fingers along his stubble lined jaw. He froze, his heartbeat skyrocketing instantly as their eyes locked again.

"Thank you, Bass."

He nodded, his breathing sounding harsh in the quiet room while he tucked her in. Snuggled up with her arms tucked against her body, Charlie smiled up at him sleepily as her eyes drifted closed. Bass leaned down and kissed her forehead.

"You're welcome."

Back in his room, Bass fell asleep with a smile on his face and contentment in his heart for the first time in years. He still had no idea what that smile had meant, but now, it didn't seem to matter quite as much.

* * *

A/N This is what happens when I get bored at work. Lol. :-D


	2. Chapter 2

Over the next several weeks, Bass found himself in Charlie's immediate vicinity more often than not. Usually, she refused to let anyone tag along with her while she hunted, much to Miles' annoyance - he saw it as a safety concern, but whenever Miles threw a big enough tantrum, Charlie would consent to let Bass go with her. Since he wasn't much of a hunter, Bass usually just hung back and let her do her thing, which Charlie seemed grateful for, and was content with following her aimlessly through the woods for hours on end.

It was late and Bass was sitting by the tiny fire in the center of their camp. Miles and Rachel were huddled together on the opposite side of the fire, Conner was sleeping off to his left wrapped in his and Bass' bedrolls, Aaron was snoring nearby, and Charlie was far off to the right, visibly shivering in the October weather. She and Rachel had gotten into a fight again this morning so when they stoped for the night, Charlie had picked a spot as far from her mother as she could find.

Lately, Bass had been trying to give her her space, they had been on relatively good terms since his drunken trip to her bedroom, but there was no way he was going to sit and watch her freeze. He got up and pulled off his jacket as he moved towards her bedroll. He was always captivated by how beautiful she was but it was even more so while she slept. Her relaxed face lacked that perpetual frown that seemed to haunt her waking hours. He tucked the ends of his leather jacket underneath her then made sure to pull it up in order to cover her bare neck. As the back of his hand brushed against her jaw, Charlie sighed contentedly and snuggled deeper into the leather.

Bass tore his hand away from her smooth skin with some difficulty. As much as he wanted to lay down next to her to cuddle up and never let go, he knew that Charlie wouldn't allow it. He wasn't even drunk right now, she might shoot him if he tried. He stomped back to his seat by the fire and sat brooding about Charlie and her weird mood swings. One minute she was smiling and letting him hunt with her, then she would recoil and call him a bastard, leaving him alone with his troubled thoughts. He let himself wallow in self pity until Miles relieved him about an hour later.

Conner still had his bedroll and Miles had covered Rachel with his, so Bass grabbed his pack and pulled out and extra shirt to use as a blanket and settled onto the cold ground. He pulled out his trusty flask as he propped the bag under his head to use as a pillow, and took a sip. Thoughts of Charlie continued to swirl in his mind. Everyday was a new challenge. She made him work in order to gain her attention and then made him jump through hoops just to keep it. He wondered if she suspected his little crush on her and merely enjoyed watching him squirm.

As the night passed on, Bass tossed and turned trying to get to sleep, but it was cold and even whiskey couldn't seem to dull the thoughts of Charlie. He huffed as he tried to get comfortable on his side, finding it impossible with a rock stuck in his back. Growling under his breath, he flung it away just as Charlie was starting to stir. It would be her watch soon and Bass wished more than anything that he could be asleep when her turn came.

No such luck. Miles went back to his bed after a whispered conversation with his niece and left her to her watch. Bass held his breath until she left their little clearing to do a perimeter check and then rolled onto his other side with his back to the fire in an attempt to get comfortable. He didn't hear Charlie come back from her check, his brain having finally started to let him drift off, but was suddenly aware of her standing over him. When he looked up at her, all he could see was her blanket falling down on top of him. She smoothed it over him while he watched her, her eyes focused on the task and her full lips set in a grim line.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

Charlie considered him for a moment, tilting her head a little to the side. "You've been drinking again." It wasn't a question this time, and she sounded more disappointed than anything else.

"Yeah... Is that why you're mad?" He hated to think that the only thing that helped him sleep was upsetting her, but she shook her head.

"Where's your blanket?"

"Conner needed it."

Charlie scoffed. "He would have been fine without it." He was tempted to point out that she was currently wearing his leather jacket, but thought better of it.

"He's my son," he said simply, as if that explained everything.

She frowned but didn't press the subject further, instead tucking her own blanket around him. Bass knew he must be grinning like an idiot but couldn't seem to make himself stop as she leaned over him. When the blanket was situated the way she wanted it, Charlie sat back on her heels to look at him. Bass stared back, enjoying the rare moment to just enjoy looking at her - while she was awake. After a few seconds she reached out and brushed her fingers over his unruly curls.

"Go to sleep, Bass," she whispered. As if on cue, he felt his eyelids start to droop, though he tried to fight it. "Shh, just sleep." He failed, falling asleep with the image of Charlie leaning over him, wreathed in moonlight, stuck in his brain. He later wondered if he had imagined the warmth of soft lips against his temple.

When he woke at dawn, Bass found her sweet smelling blanket still tucked around him. He resisted the temptation to pull it up over his head and drown himself in her. He looked around camp but didn't see her, but the others were all packing their things so he busied himself with folding her blanket and checking his weapons.

As he slid the clip back into his gun, an apple fell into his lap. Bass looked up just in time to see Charlie grin at him and saunter away, his jacket - which was way too big on her - covering his view of her swaying hips. He picked up the apple but stopped just before he bit into it because he noticed that there was already a chunk missing. He could see the outline of Charlie's teeth in it.

He looked up again, meeting Charlie's gaze. She was watching him, almost challenging him to eat from her apple. Bass raised it to his lips, his eyes never leaving hers, and took a bite. She smiled, tucked her gun back into her jeans and threw her pack over her shoulder, then followed the others away from camp.

Bass stared after her, wondering what all of that had been about and then realizing that she still had his jacket. It was getting pretty chilly out so he was going to need it. Then again, if she kept smiling at him like she just had, he thought he might be able to live without it.

* * *

A/N Another boring day at work, so another little bit for you guys to read. :-D


	3. Chapter 3

The mystery of Charlie's sudden change in attitude continued to intrigue him. Miles no longer had to convince her to let Bass tag along on her hunting trips. It had become an unspoken agreement between the two of them that when Charlie gathered her crossbow and game bag, Bass would follow. Hunting involved a lot of trial and error, especially the tracking part, so Bass had learned to keep at least a twenty yard distance while Charlie flitted from tree to tree tracking her prey.

That was how Bass found himself leaning against a large maple tree as Charlie disappeared into a clump of bushes. Her sudden shriek of surprise made him tear through them with his sword ready in hand, ready to fight whoever dared threaten her. It wasn't necessary though. The most threatening thing he found on the other side of the bushes was the drop off into a valley down below. He looked over at Charlie, who was staring down into the valley with a small smile, and then back at the narrow ravine.

"What? What are you looking at?" She pointed to a spot down below them and he followed the line of her finger with his eyes. About forty yards out, there were several apple trees nestled in the valley.

They stumbled down the rocky wall and onto the overgrown grass that covered the valley floor. A few small bushes lined the way to the trees, all of them browning in the colder weather. They stood silently beneath a large apple tree, covered from top to bottom with juicy, red apples. Being the taller one, Bass reached up and grabbed one from a lower branch and cleaned it off with his shirt before taking a big bite. The juice smeared on his lips and dripped down his chin. He wiped his face with the back of his hand and offered Charlie his bitten apple. She could have easily gotten her own - they were surrounded by them - but she took it and finished his apple off without even batting an eye.

They wandered silently through the valley, both of them munching on more apples as they went. It was a very peaceful place. On the opposite end that they had come down from, a small stream with clear, cool water trickled down the cliffside and down further into a deeper trench that looked as if it ran on forever through the hills. Not far from the stream, Charlie discovered and old, overgrown garden. She started pulling up potatoes, carrots, and onions excitedly. Bass was obediently piling her findings into the game bag when Charlie stopped him with a hand on his forearm. She had gone strangely still and silent. Bass looked up into her eyes and saw they way her head dipped slightly to their left. He looked over and saw a missing chunk in the rock face. It was about six feet high but no more than two feet wide. It could have been an ordinary rock formation, but something about the way Charlie was looking at it made him suspicious. With a hand on his gun, Bass moved quietly towards it.

At a glace it was no more than a missing chunk of rock, but further inspection proved it to be a small passage. Bass slid into the crack with his gun in hand and was soon shocked to find himself in a dark, but open area. The sunlight streaming through the small doorway lit up a small, wooden table with an old oil lamp sitting on it. Charlie picked it up.

"Got a light?"

With the lantern burning to life, they found not just a cave, but a home. Somebody, who had left long ago, had lived there. A small, circular table with a matching handmade chair was sitting near the entrance of the cave. Further in, a small bed piled high with dusty looking quilts sat in the corner. Empty bookshelves, all carved of the same wood as the table and bed, lined the walls. A few shelves had empty glass jars on them.

"Someone lived here," Charlie said quietly. Bass noticed the note of awe in her voice and if he wasn't mistaken, envy. He could see why she might find this sort of thing appealing. A nice, quiet place to live without the worry of other people bothering you. A flash of himself and Charlie nestled happily on the old bed with small faceless children running in the valley. But he only let himself fantasize for a moment. Those sort of thoughts wouldn't get him anywhere.

Charlie looked around the clearly abandoned home and asked, "why on Earth would anyone want to leave all this?"

Bass looked again at the small bed and single chair that accompanied the small table. It was home built for a single person. An image of himself sitting alone at that very table, eating a solitary dinner, cooked by himself, for himself, surfaced in his mind. "They probably got lonely," he answered simply.

Neither of them spoke for a while after that. Bass was aware that he had just unintentionally revealed one his worst fears and that Charlie had understood it completely. Warm fingers suddenly grasped his own. He looked down at their joined hands and then at Charlie who was staring up at him with a sad sort of smile on her face.

"Come on, we should get back before Miles starts to worry." Bass nodded and let her tug him out of the lonely cave. They walked back to the overgrown garden hand in hand, only letting go when it came time to finish filling their bag with the food they had found.

Later, when Rachel asked where the food had come from, Charlie didn't mention the cave they had discovered together. Bass didn't either. He found that he didn't want to share it with anyone else, it felt like it was their own little secret. A world away from their own where things were just a little less dark.

* * *

A/N I'm starting to wonder if I'll ever actually have to do any work while I'm at work... :-D


	4. Chapter 4

As November came, so did the first snow of the season. Charlie seemed right at home in the snowy woods, probably due to growing up in Wisconsin, tracking a small herd of deer so they could have the blackout version of a Thanksgiving. She had been quiet lately. Well, even quieter than she usually was, anyway. Silence was normally how they operated. A flick of a finger or a tilt of a head was usually all they needed in order to communicate, but Bass had noticed over the past few days that her silence seemed to carry more weight to it. He didn't press for any type of conversation, no matter how much he wanted too, though he hoped that it was just because she didn't feel like talking and not because of something he had done.

 _Patience_ , he told himself. Charlie didn't ever do anything unless she was good and ready, and pushing her would only do more harm than good.

She was twenty feet ahead of him, bent over, examining the ground around a tree - giving him a rather wonderful view of her backside - when she finally decided that she was ready to speak to him.

"Do you ever miss it?" She asked. Her back was still to him and she was busying herself checking out another tree. Bass wondered if that single, simple question had been the reason for her silence.

"Do I miss what?"

Charlie stood up straight and stared up at the darkening sky for a moment, a look of concentration on her face. "The Republic."

Bass stared at her, taken aback by the abrubt mention of his failed country and the lack of venom in her voice. Then she turned to look at him, her eyes wide and trusting, not a hint of anger in her face, only curiosity.

She was searching for something - what, exactly, he didn't know - but she obviously hoped to find it in his answer.

So his first thought was to simply say _no_. That was what she wanted to hear, wasn't it? But another look into her eyes showed him that blatant trust again. Maybe she didn't want to hear how sorry he was for what the Republic had become... No. She wanted him to tell her the truth. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. What was the truth, anyway?

"I don't want to lie to you, Charlie."

"Good, then don't."

But that was easier said than done. Did he miss the Republic?

"Yes. Well... sometimes." Charlie watched him carefully, waiting for him to explain. Bass almost growled in frustration, not with Charlie, but with himself. How was he supposed to explain it in a way that wouldn't upset her?

"Look, I'm not gonna lie, sometimes I miss it. I miss having a warm bed and always having plenty of food on the table. I miss having maids around to clean up after me and always having clean clothes without having to do any laundry. I miss being in control, having soldiers ready at my command. But I don't miss the responsibility that came with it. Being responsible for thousands of people is a big job, and I'm just not meant for that kind of thing." He watched her face for any clue as to what she was thinking but she merely stared back at him, unreadable. "Does that make sense?" He asked her after she'd been silent too long.

Charlie bit her lip thoughtfully, pulling at it with her teeth, then nodded slowly. "I guess so," she admitted. "But then why did you tell Conner that you want to get the Republic back?"

Bass closed his eyes and took a deep breath, mentally smacking himself for his stupidity when it came to his son. "I don't want it back. I mean, I did. When I told Conner that we would get it back, I meant it."

"So what changed?" She asked quietly.

He looked at her carefully. Her blue eyes full of trust and that other thing that he refused to identify. "When I was President, I had no one. Now I have Conner, Miles..." Bass wanted so badly to say, _now I have you_ , but couldn't seem to get the words out. "I've finally gotten close to what I want, I can't lose it now." The unsaid, _I can't lose you,_ hung thick in the air between them.

Charlie nodded and flashed him another one of those perfect smiles that had quickly become his new drug of choice. "Good." Then she turned and went back to tracking their dinner.

"That's it?" He asked, a little confused by the anticlimactic end to what could have been a disastrous conversation.

She turned back to him with a raised eyebrow. "What were you expecting?"

Bass opened his mouth and then shut it. What _had_ he been expecting? His floundering made her chuckle as she moved to stand directly in front of him.

"I'm proud of you, Bass." Then she stood up on her tippy toes and kissed him softly on the lips. He stared down at her, shock mixed with something warm and fuzzy settling in his gut. They smiled at each other as their usual easy silence settled over them again and Charlie moved on to continue her quest for dinner.

What had he been expecting? Certainly not that. But he didn't complain as he trailed after her, the warm fuzzies still swirling around in his stomach.


	5. Chapter 5

Time didn't really seem to matter much after that kiss. They didn't kiss again for several weeks after that, though Bass wished they would, the two of them spent most of their time acting like nothing out of the ordinary had even happened. The only difference seemed to be in Charlie's general treatment of him. Before, she had just been warming up to him, which compared to the others could have been considered borderline cuddly, but now she really was cuddly.

Well, about as cuddly as anyone with the name Matheson would ever get.

They all sat around the small living room of the abandoned house that they were currently calling home eating the modest dinner that Charlie had caught for them. Miles and Rachel were chatting about some concert that they had attended way back when, while Conner and Aaron chattered away in Spanish to each other. Apparently, the former millionaire had owned a villa in The Dominican Republic. Bass watched Charlie look around the room cautiously before moving to sit next to him. Their shoulders brushed together and she leaned into him a little while they ate their food. No one else even seemed aware that they were in the room, nonetheless sitting contentedly in each others company. He loved those moments though, just him and Charlie, that was all that mattered.

Later, when everyone else had shuffled off to bed, Charlie stopped on her way to the room she had claimed for herself and kissed his cheek. Bass had reached out and smoothed back some of her hair while he wished her goodnight.

It was a quiet night on watch and as the few short hours passed the house grew colder, making him worry about Charlie in her room by herself. He made his way quietly through the house to her bedroom and eased the door open. Panic flooded his whole body instantly. Charlie's bed was empty. His stomach dropped. Had she been kidnapped? Had she run away, never to be seen again because she had finally realized how worthless he was?

He was about to raise the alarm and start screaming when he noticed that her pack was still on the floor, though her bedroll seemed to be missing. A small crept across his face. Down the hall and on the left, his own bedroom door stood slightly ajar. Inside, he found Charlie snuggled deep in his bedroll with her own blankets thrown over top for extra warmth.

He smoothed the blankets out a little and tucked them more securely around her small frame, accidentally waking her up as he did. She sighed softly and blinked up at him, smiling.

"Hey." Then she sat up quickly, suddenly wide awake. "Is it my watch already?"

Bass chuckled, pushing her back down onto bed. "No, I just went to your room to check on you and you weren't there. I was worried, for a second I thought that you'd left without me."

"Oh." She yawned and started getting comfortable again. "Don't be stupid, Bass. I'm not going anywhere without you. I just came in here 'cause that other room was all drafty. It was freezing in there." Bass bit back a smile as she dozed off again. He gave her a quick kiss on the forehead and then went back to his post.

When Miles came down a little while later, he turned to Bass with a tired smile. "I think Charlie stole your room, brother."

Bass, not quite ready to have that particular conversation, merely shrugged. "As long as she didn't drink all my whiskey, I don't really care where she sleeps." Miles huffed a laugh as Bass escaped up the stairs.

Slipping into bed next to Charlie, he didn't even notice that his flask sat empty on the floor next to the bed. He drifted off to sleep without a drink for the first time in a very long time. The only assistance he had was Charlie's warm body pressed against his and her slow breathing to lull him to sleep.

When morning came, Bass found himself alone in the bed - not surprising since Charlie had last watch - but with Miles standing over him with the face of an angry tiger.

"Morning, brother." He tried for a smile but Miles cut him off with a hand in the air.

"For the record, it would have been nice to have been _told_ about, about whatever _this_ ," he gestured to the bed where Bass and Charlie had just slept, "is supposed to be, rather than walking in here and finding my best friend using my niece like his own personal teddy bear!" Miles' voice had quieted to a harsh whisper, but still held every bit of his anger. "And if Rachel finds out about, about _this,_ then she's going to kill you. And then she's gonna kill me just for knowing about it and not telling her."

Bass straightened up a little, a bit of hope stirring in his gut. "Wait, you aren't going to tell her?"

"Of course not!" Miles hissed. "You think I want to be the one to break it to her? No way. If you two are going to be stupid together, then that's your problem." And with that, Miles stormed out of the room. Bass barely had time to register the fact that Miles had just given him his blessing (more or less) when Charlie poked her head into the room looking a little fearful.

"How bad was it?" She asked with a frown.

But Bass just shook his head and held his arms out to her. She sat down on the bed and let him pull her against him, resting her head on his chest. "Not too bad. We'll be alright."

Charlie leaned back in order to see his face. "We will?"

He took one look at her hopeful expression and felt his heart melt. "Yeah. Worst case scenario, I have to kill your mother."

She laughed. "We could always just run away."

Bass nodded. "Maybe someday."

* * *

A/N I actually did some real work today. *smiles proudly* But unfortunately I also did most of the work that I had to do for the rest of the week, soo... I guess I'll just go ahead a write some more.


	6. Chapter 6

He bought it on a whim. It was one of those rare occasions where they actually crossed through civilization and got to see and speak to people other than the six of them. Everyone had split into three groups on instinct, Miles and Rachel, Conner and Aaron, Bass and Charlie. It was just how they did thingsthe now.

The market was surprisingly busy. Probably just people getting some last minute shopping done while the sun was still out. Or at least that was what Bass had suggested when Charlie pointed out that the large number of people was unusual for the cold weather. The two soon learned differently as they stopped at a small stall so Charlie could look at some hand knitted sweaters. She dropped his hand and reached for a pale blue sweater.

"What do you think?"

But Bass barely glanced at it as he leaned in for a soft kiss. "I think it's perfect, just like you." And Charlie, the same woman that could kill six guys with nothing but a stick, actually blushed.

"Aww." The old woman at the stand put her hands over her heart as she watched them. "He's so sweet!" She gushed to Charlie, who was looking surprised that someone had seen them together and not started shouting immediately. But she got over it quickly and looked up at him, her eyes suddenly shining with happiness.

"Yeah, he is. He's the best."

Forgetting all about their audience, Bass leaned down for another kiss. "You're the best."

"Does that mean I can get the sweater?"

He barked out a laugh and pulled her close, wrapping an arm around her waist. "You can have whatever you want, Charlie."

The old lady broke up their moment again with a squeal. "You two are adorable. How about I give you the discount price, it is Christmas after all."

They both stared at her. "It is?"

She laughed at their surprise. "Of course it is! Why do you think all these people are out shopping in the cold?"

Neither of them had even thought about it. The weeks after Thanksgiving had passed so quickly that they hadn't even noticed. They thanked the woman and paid for Charlie's new sweater before turning back to the rest of the market. Each stall held something new to look at and for the first time ever, Bass thought Charlie was acting like a normal girl by insisting that they look at every little thing. He let her lead him around for over an hour, holding on to the increasing number of things she was buying from the stands. He couldn't complain. It was the first time he had ever seen Charlie looking so cheerful.

She got sidetracked with an old man that was selling pre-blackout books. The two of them chattered away about books and authors, most of which he had never heard of. Bass shook his head in amusement. Of course the daughter of Ben Matheson was a bookworm. It was probably coded in her DNA.

He left Charlie with her new friend and strolled through the stalls, stopping here and there when something caught his eye. Nothing seemed to keep his attention though until he came to another old lady who had boxes and containers full of odds and ends. Most of it was junk, but a small container full of old, plastic rings caught his eye. He picked up a green, plastic band with a purple gem on it and chuckled, imagining what the gaudy thing would look like on Charlie's finger.

"Not really meant for a woman, is it." The old woman said.

"No, not for mine anyway."

She nodded understandingly and then gave him an appraising look. "Hang on a second." She dug around in an old leather bag behind her for a moment before she pulled something out looking pretty proud of herself. "How about this?" And she handed him a battered, gold wedding band.

His heart suddenly stopped. It was old and chipped in some places. There was no diamond, not even and intricate design. It was plain and boring, but so perfectly Charlie.

"How much?" He asked.

The woman sighed, giving the ring a wistful glance. "I've had that ring for a long, long time. I wanna make sure it's going for a good cause."

Bass smiled. He understood this woman. Some things, even an old wedding ring, we're far more important than money. He turned and saw Charlie still talking to the man with the books, and pointed towards her.

"You see that girl, the one with the blonde hair, that's Charlie." He didn't even have to say anything else, the woman nodded, looking Charlie up and down as if measuring her worth.

"How about thirty diamonds?"

Pulling the pouch from his boot, Bass tipped every diamond he had into his palm. There couldn't have been more than twenty there. His hope dissipated. The woman looked at the money in his hand, then over at Charlie, then at the gold ring. She sighed and reached out, took half of the money from his hand and then pressed the ring into his palm.

"You make sure she takes good care of it."

Bass swallowed thickly, suddenly overwhelmed by what he had just done. "You have my word."

He left the woman with considerably less money in his pouch, but with a ring and the hope of a promise in his pocket.


	7. Chapter 7

The stupid thing was driving him crazy. First, Bass had tried storing it in his pack, but since Charlie seemed to think that his pack was also hers, he'd been forced to find another hiding spot. Then he'd kept it in his money pouch in his boot. That worked quite nicely until he and Charlie had gone into a market to do some shopping and he'd almost dumped the ring out into his hand right in front of her.

Now the golden band was resting in the inside pocket of his jacket, where it had been hiding for the last three weeks. He wanted to give it to her, he really did, it was just that every time he thought it would be a good time, something else would come up.

Which was exactly what had happened yesterday evening. Bass and Charlie had just gotten back to the safe house with dinner when Conner and Aaron came in, both men wearing worried expressions.

"We overheard a few guys talking in the bar about some bounty hunters coming to town," Conner told them. Miles and Bass had no way of knowing if these bounty hunters were after them or if it was just a coincidence, but Miles made everyone pack up immediately anyway.

"Better safe than sorry."

The six of them had traveled through the night and well into the morning, only stopping when none of them could go any further. They didn't even bother trying to find shelter. It was still very cold, but there wasn't any snow on the ground, so everyone picked a tree in the shade and collapsed onto their bedrolls. All except for Bass, who as usual, had first watch. He didn't really mind it though. The idea that men could be in the area searching for them made him worry about Charlie even more than usual. He didn't think that he would be able to sleep even if he laid down anyway.

It wasn't until it got close to the time when Miles should take over, that Bass realized how tired he really was. His limbs felt heavy, his eyelids were drooping, and he wasn't so sure that he'd be able shoot straight even if someone did come looking. Luckily, Miles came staggering from his bed after a while in order to relieve him.

Bass didn't even bother with his own bedroll. It was a testament to how tired he was that he didn't even think about it as he nudged Charlie over in hers and climbed in. She was so lost to sleep that she didn't even stir. Miles either didn't care or was too tired to care or possibly just too tired to yell at him for it.

They all regretted it come morning.

Screaming. And lots of it.

Miles had apparently fallen asleep while on watch and Charlie had slept right through hers, so when Rachel got up, it was to find Bass and Charlie still snuggled together in her bedroll.

Rachel was in such a rage that the majority of the words coming out of her mouth were nothing more than gibberish. They caught things like, "how - stupid - monster - why," But that was about it. Conner and Aaron had retreated far enough away that they could still hear, but that they weren't in any immediate danger. Miles was hovering around behind Rachel, seeming torn between interfering and not wanting to cause more of an issue. Charlie, who didn't seem at all happy about the rude awakening, slowly extracted herself from their blankets and rose to her feet. The movement seemed to catch Rachel's attention and she immediately turned her rant on Charlie.

"What the hell are you doing! How could you do this to me, to our family?"

Bass got quickly to his feet, and after taking one look at the expression on Charlie's face, stepped back. It wasn't a glare, she didn't even look angry. No, it was a face of carefully constructed calm. He had seen it on Miles' face many times, and with Miles, it usually meant that someone was about to die.

Her apparent indifference only served to irritate Rachel more. "What is wrong with you? Of all the men in the world, you decide that you want to sleep with the one that killed your brother?"

The only change in Charlie's face was the slight raise of a single eyebrow.

"This is stupid, Charlie. You can't do this."

Now the other eyebrow raised as well. "I don't remember asking for anyone's permission," Charlie said coolly. Rachel stopped, her mouth hanging open stupidly as Charlie continued to stare her down.

"I'm you're mother," Rachel protested weakly.

"And I'm an adult, so back off." And with that, Charlie turned and grabbed her hunting gear before heading towards the trees. She stopped just before moving out of sight and turned back to see all of their shocked faces. "Bass, are you coming?"

He blinked the stupid off of his face, grabbed his swords, and took off after her. They walked for a while until Charlie stopped and sat down on a boulder. Bass moved to stand next to her, automatically brushing her hair off of her shoulder.

"Are you OK?"

She nodded absent mindedly, then stood up to face him. She pressed a feather light kiss to his lips and ran her hands down his chest.

"It was about time for that to happen anyway. Besides," and to his surprise she unzipped his jacket and reached inside, pulling the ring he hadn't given to her yet from his pocket. "Now I can actually wear it." She moved to slip the ring onto her finger.

Ten thousand different things were trying to take center stage in his mind. How did she know about the ring? How long had she known that it was there? Why hadn't she said anything before?

Bass reached out and stopped her before she could get the ring on, because of all of the things going on in his head, the fact that _he_ wanted to put the ring on her finger, was the most important. As the gold band slid onto her slim finger, his heart seemed to pound with a newfound love for life.

"How long have you known?" He asked.

Charlie grinned up at him, one of those heart stopping smiles that kept him going for days. "Since the cave. How long have you known?"

Bass almost laughed. She'd known that they were married even before he'd had the ring. "Pretty much since the day we met."

She nodded, taking his hand and linking their fingers together. Her hand felt strange with the cool metal wrapped around her finger, but he wasn't worried, he'd get used to it.

* * *

A/N This might be the end of this story, then again, I've been known to lie about that sort of thing so don't be surprised if another chapter pops up. Thanks for reading!


End file.
